Francesco Fornetti
'Francesco Fornetti '''is a famous marine biologist. He owned a boat called ''Lupo di Mare, which Brant Redfort worked on as an apprentice is Tuscany, Italy, seventeen years before the events of Take Your Last Breath. He carries a yellow carryall with a picture of a dog or a wolf on it. His hair is grey and his skin looks "leathery and worn" from years spent in the sun. He wears a hat and sunglasses, even in the evening. Ruby doesn't hear him speak in public. History Approximately 1963 Franceso Fornetti came to Twinford in 1963 and was free-diving off the coast. He joined the Redforts on their boat as they were sailing around the area. Ruby (aged three years old) fell into the water because she heard the Sea Whisperer calling to her; Fornetti dived in after her and managed to save her from the creature. He was intrigued by what he saw: a fifty-foot wide octopus, bigger than any he'd ever seen before. However, he decided not to mention it to the Redforts as they were shaken by Ruby's near-drowning. Fornetti became obsessed with the Sea Whisperer and spent six weeks searching for it before he spotted it again, near the Sibling Islands. He watched it gobble a 14-foot shark and took photos of it. However, as he was doing so, the cephalopod released ink into the water, disorientating him. The Sea Whisperer pulled the breathing equipment from his mouth and he dropped his camera. Fornetti stabbed the monster with a knife and, amazingly, it released him, although he was tiny in comparison to the monster. He had ingested some of the cephalopod's ink, which turned out to be a truth serum. This made him blab the story to everyone; the marine biology world didn't take him seriously and he vanished from intellectual circles. Ruby Redfort, Take Your Last Breath In Take Your Last Breath, Ruby notices Fornetti around Twinford and thinks he's following her. Ruby notices him in several places, including on Cedarwood Drive and in the Full-O-Beans Coffee Shop. She refers to him as "the stranger". Ruby doesn't confront him, although she tries to talk to him on several occasions. Ruby keeps dreaming about being caught by the Sea Whisperer and a "tiny diver" (appearing tiny next to the huge creature) coming to save her , but she doesn't know that it actually happened to her. She later realises that the "tiny diver" was Francesco Fornetti, after he saves her from the Sea Whisperer for a second time. When Ruby is captured by the Count von Viscount in the caves in the Sibling Islands and is in the pool with the Sea Whisperer, Francesco Fornetti saves her. He then tells her about how he saved her when she was a child. He also states that the secret of the Sea Whisperer is best kept that way, and that "she" should be left in peace.Ruby Redfort: Take Your Last Breath, p.404-6 References Category:Characters Category:Take Your Last Breath